Cuban Mojito recipe

the original authentic recipe from Havana Cuba

1 teaspoon powdered sugar
Juice from 1 lime (2 ounces)
4 mint leaves

1 sprig of mint
Havana Club white Rum (2 ounces)
2 ounces club soda

(If you post this recipe or my commentary on another site, I'd greatly appreciate a link back to this recipe page as your source, thanks).  There are countless recipes for the Mojito (prounced moh-HEE-toh), but this version is for the one Hemingway himself enjoyed at the Mojito's place of birth: La Bodeguita del Medio in Havana, Cuba.  If you are throwing a Cuban theme party (Havana night themed party), definitely plan on serving mojitos. 

Place the mint leaves into a long mojito glass (often called a "collins" glass) and squeeze the juice from a cut lime over it.  You'll want about two ounces of lime juice, so it may not require all of the juice from a single lime.  Add the powdered sugar, then gently smash the mint into the lime juice and sugar with a muddler (a long wooden device pictured below, though you can also use the back of a fork or spoon if one isn't available).  Add ice (preferably crushed) then add the rum and stir, and top off with the club soda (you can also mix the club soda in as per your taste).  Garnish with a mint sprig.

** Optional ** While the following isn't the authentic original Bodeguita del Medio Cuban recipe for a mojito, some people will take half of the juiced lime and cut into into four wedges to add to the glass.  Another variation is to add Angostura bitters to cut the mojito's sweetness, which is a popular version in Havana hotels although not the true Bodeguita recipe.  Some Cubans also use "guarapo" in place of the powdered sugar, which is a sugar cane syrup available in some supermarkets or online Latin grocery stores. 

It's pretty hard to find glasses and muddlers, but I purchased a few gift sets for relatives from an online Cuban store (click here for the site and click on "other favorites" in their site's menu), they have a couple of mojito glass gift sets with a muddler.  Pictured below is the "Havana" set, which comes in a nice gift box.  Once a year we throw a "Havana" party and give away one set to each family that shows up as a take-home gift.